4. Alex Skarsgard as Aquaman
The current generation is probably only aware of Aquaman through the season 2 Entourage storyline, where Vinnie Chase lands his first big role and the film goes on to out-gross Spider-Man. Aside from that, he is not very well known to the cinema-going crowd. However, back in the day he was a huge flag bearer for DC, and dates back to the 1930s.
In brief, Aquaman is half human, half Atlantean and has super strength, endurability, and can breathe underwater. He champions the cause of all marine life and is something of an eco-warrior. However, his back story is rich with tragedy, family dramas and betrayal, making him a close parallel with Marvel’s Thor. A script has been in development for 6 years now with various companies, and so far Leonardo Di Caprio, Josh Holloway and Ryan McPartlin have all been mooted. But the strongest contender so far has to be Alex Skarsgard (just beating rising star Aaron Tveit).
The 6”3 Swede is most famous for playing fan favorite Eric in True Blood, but don’t let that put you off. He is a fantastic actor and one whose star is currently on the rise. If you haven’t seen him in the excellent Generation Kill, do it now. Skarsgard has a swimmer’s physique, matching the Golden Age comic book and post Brightest Day iterations very well. To top that off, Skarsgard is well known to bring a certain amount of nobility and sophistication to his roles, which would lend itself to a princely character, and also help detract from the naysayers who think Aquaman is a little bit twee.
What might also help is if the film is set back in the 1940s like Captain America, Aquaman’s personality really suits that era, more so than today, which would give the film more authority.
